video games are good, except when they're not

November 9, 2016December 3, 2016

Day #314: Rez

As you would imagine, it’s been difficult to focus today.

This is why, on zero sleep, I’ve endeavored to help as many people as possible today. I knew that whatever I chose for today’s game was going to be similar to the previous; an excuse to interact with something, anything to keep my anxious thoughts to a minimum.

The release of Rez Infinite marked the very first must-have VR game for me. Seeing “Area X” in motion and later hearing people speak about it gave off the distinct impression that someone had finally cracked the code in creating a virtual reality experience that made the technology feel essential, ironic given that its shell was still that of a 15 year old game. As someone that doesn’t have access to a Playstation VR, I’m stuck playing the original version.

“Stuck” is perhaps not the right word, since any variation on the Rez formula is more than functional. This particular evening called for a run through my favorite level, the “Lost Area”, which has an empty, void-like nature, with each sound seeming to echo off of a barrier just barely out of your sight. If I were in a more lucid state, I could see myself giving into the sort of trance that the entirety of Rez is built around inspiring. In lieu of that, I just focused on the sounds and colors; the movement. It was only for a few minutes, but those few minutes of my day were something that I had control over. T

That time spent in that abstract world were, ironically, the only few minutes of my day that made sense.